Running Into Battle Again
by ExplosiveNoise
Summary: Marcus has a love for a good fight. But the new member of the DATS Squad keeps getting on his nerves and Marcus wonders if he's doing it on purpose. When Marcus finally yells at Thomas about this, Thomas starts to understand why Marcus is so angry with him. But Thomas is too late to realize that Marcus has been pushing his body too far in fights.


Marcus Daimon was running into battle again; and with Agumon right at his side as they made their way to their next target. Daimon felt the happiness he always felt before a fight as he rushed in, jumping up to hit the on-the-loose Digimon with his bare hands. When he felt power through his arm he made Agumon digivolve and face their foe head on. Soon, there was nothing left of it but a small digi-egg.

Marcus was reporting in to DATS with Agumon, boasting about how they had defeated the Digimon and how they were 'The Ultimate Team.' And as they did so, Richard Sampson told them to get back to work.

Thomas was in the back of the room working on a computer and Yoshino was out capturing another Digimon. Marcus sighed. What 'work' was he supposed to do if there weren't any more Digimon to fight?! And just then, a Digimon signal came in from sector C.

"Alright Agumon, it's fightn' time!" Marcus yelled.

"Right, Boss!" Agumon replied.

"Wait!" Sampson bellowed at Marcus. "Take Thomas and Gaomon with you."

"We don't need 'em!" Marcus cried.

"Thomas, you will provide backup for Marcus and Agumon."

"Yes sir," Thomas replied, getting up from messing with the computer. He saluted to the commander and then ran after Marcus and Agumon with Gaomon following not far behind.

"Marcus, wait up!" Thomas shouted to Marcus who was getting too far ahead of them.

"I'm not waiting for you." Marcus Daimon said stubbornly, running even faster and not watching where he was going while looking back at Thomas to stick his tongue out, he tripped and fell on the ground.

"Serves you right," Thomas remarked when he caught up, attempting to help Daimon up, but being slapped away.

"I can take care of myself!" He yelled loudly. He was so tired of Thomas rubbing all of his mistakes into his face. He was tired of being compared to Thomas, tired of having to rely on him, tired of him making fun of him. He tried to get back up on his own, but fell again. He had scraped his knee on the pavement and it was starting to bleed through his already red pants.

"Marcus, are you alright?" Thomas asked.

"Boss?!" Agumon asked, just noticing his partner wasn't behind him and started backtracking to where Marcus was.

"I'm fine, _Agumon_." Marcus emphasized, glaring at Thomas.

"Uh, sir?" Gaomon questioned, tugging on his master's arm. "Shouldn't we go catch that Digimon now?"

"Yeah Gaomon, let's go." Thomas replied, running off without a glance back at Daimon.

"Boss, we should go too." Agumon told him, referring to running off to fight the appeared Digimon.

"Right, Agumon. Now help me up."

The Digimon tugged until his partner was up and standing stably and they both ran off in the same direction as Thomas had moments before.

When Marcus and Agumon got there, Marcus recklessly ran into battle, trying to land a punch on their new Digimon opponent while Thomas yelled at him, but Marcus didn't hear a word that blond boy said. He rushed in, fist raised and ready and –WHAM! Marcus was sent flying through the air by the Digimon's tail and he fell to the ground all over again.

"You idiot!" Thomas yelled. "I tried to warm you; this is a high level Digimon!"

"Thanks for your concern!" Marcus shouted clearly upset, which took Thomas aback. He had never seen Marcus this way before. Of course Marcus Daimon was usually like this but somehow today the words sounded a little different to Thomas; nevertheless, he sighed and ran over to his 'teammate' while telling his Digimon partner to attack.

"Are you okay Marcus?" Thomas asked in a huff.

"I'm fine! Just leave me alone! I'll handle this, right Agumon?" Marcus stubbornly yelled out, while getting up and running straight towards their Digimon target and landed a hit. Power encircled his arm and he made Agumon digivolve. And just when Agumon (now Geo-Greymon) headed in for the fight, Marcus turned around and wasn't really watching and got hit by the Digimon's tail again, scrapping his good knee when falling over from the force of the unexpected hit.

"Marcus?" Thomas asked when his hot headed teammate didn't get up. "Marcus?" He questioned again and got no answer. It wasn't like Marcus to stay down long, so what was up with him today?! He kept falling and getting hurt. In Thomas's opinion it was like Marcus to be a klutz, but this was pushing it. Thomas guessed that maybe something was bothering Marcus and this was why he was being so weird, but he wasn't really sure.

Thomas heard a big blast and looked over. Geo-Greymon was knocked over just before the Digimon was turned into a Digi-egg and Gaomon rushed to his side. And now after Thomas knew that defeating a Digimon was now out of the way, he turned his attention to Marcus.

Thomas crouched down beside the ponytailed brunette only to see him look up and glare at him. Thomas sighed. "If you're going to act like a child-"

"I hate you! I'm sick of you always trying to bring me down! Can't you pick on anyone else?!"

"So that's what this is about. Marcus-"

"Why don't you just leave me alone! I don't need your input or your help!" And with that, Marcus tried to stand up, but on his feet he wobbled and almost fell back down.

"Marcus…"

"You just shut up! I won't take orders from a jerk like you!"And he ran off.

Marcus ran and ran and ran, until he came to a bench that he could sit on. He caught his breath there and tried to calm down. He hadn't meant to yell at Thomas like that, but his anger had gotten the better of him and boiled over. He really didn't actually hate Thomas like he'd said, in fact really he more of looked up to him. Though he'd never tell anyone that, it was how he felt. And he just wanted Thomas to accept him, even if just a little. They could be friends, but only if Thomas stopped degrading Marcus so much.

When Marcus had finally calmed himself down, he went back to DATS.

"Where is Thomas?"

"Uh…"

"Where's Agumon? Where's the digi-egg?"

"Um, well…"

"Where's Gaomon?"

"They aren't here?" Marcus asked the commander quietly in an innocent tone.

"Go find them and bring them back here immediately! They are still on shift," said the commander- Sampson and his Digimon partner.

Marcus hadn't wanted to see Thomas so soon after they'd had that fight, but if he didn't go he'd just have to face him later and he didn't want that. So he back tracked to where he had seen them last, where they had fought.

"_I hate you! I'm sick of you always trying to bring me down! Can't you pick on anyone else?!" "Why don't you just leave me alone! I don't need your input or your help!" "I won't take orders from a jerk like you!"_ Marcus's words repeated over and over in Thomas's head. And he felt terrible. He hadn't realized just how much he had hurt Marcus, (mostly he hurt his pride but) he had hurt Marcus with his words, without even giving much thought into it. He liked Marcus and he hated himself for hurting him.

Thomas's eyes started to water. But he jumped when he felt someone's hand touch his shoulder. And he didn't have to look up to know whose it was.

"Are you alright Thomas?" Yoshino asked.

"I'm fine," Thomas said standing up now. "Where's Marcus?"

"Don't know. I haven't seen him. Why do you ask?"

"He got upset and ran off so I was wondering if you had seen him." Thomas replied swiftly, conveniently leaving off that he was only upset because of him.

"That sounds just like him," She commented and then sighed. "What are we going to do with him?! But anyway, I'm headed back to DATS, you coming?"

"I'll be there in second. You go on ahead."

"You sure?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, see you later Thomas."

And then she was gone. And Thomas was alone again, with the exception of Digimon (his partner, Marcus's partner, and the Digi-egg).

"Agumon, shouldn't you be with Marcus?" Thomas asked the Digimon.

"Well yeah but Boss took off so fast without warning and I don't know where he went." Agumon wined.

Thomas sighed and just started walking. He had no idea where he was going to, but he had to move, to get away for a little bit. He needed a strategy. He wanted to make it up to Marcus since he had really hurt him and he wanted to correct what he had done wron-

"Thomas!" His thoughts were interrupted by said boy. Thomas turned his head slightly to see Marcus speed running- or rather barreling toward him. Marcus wasn't stopping.

"Oof!" Thomas was tackled and then hit with a fist.

"I can't believe you! You're still here? Why aren't you at DATS?" Marcus yelled.

"Boss!" Agumon chimed.

"Well of course I'm not at DATS!" Thomas yelled back.

"And why's that?" Marcus said loudly, cocking his head to the side.

"Because!"

"Hey Thomas, what's 1+1?"

"If you're seriously asking me that you need to go back to the first grade!" Thomas said incredulously.

"Just answer the question!"

Thomas sighed. "It's 2. Are you happy now?"

"Here." Marcus shoved something into Thomas's hands.

Thomas looked at the pieces of paper. "But these are…"

"Tickets. I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier. I lost my cool." Marcus commented, avoiding Thomas's eyes with his head turned to the side.

"You never had any cool to begin with."

"Shut up!"

Thomas laughed but then acted serious again. "I'm sorry for hurting your feelings. I had no idea I was coming down on you so hard until you told me."

Marcus gasped innocently. "Is the great Thomas admitting he was wrong?"

Thomas rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying-"

"We should head back before the commander yells at us." Marcus said jittery without looking straight at Thomas but more of through him with glazed eyes.

"No. I'm going to stay here with Gaomon for a bit. I'll catch up later. You and Agumon should go on ahead." Thomas told him, slightly offended that he had been cut off.

"Hmpf! I didn't need you to come back with me anyway!" Marcus yelled. "Come on Agumon, let's go."

Thomas watched Marcus walk off and soon he was gone. And all Thomas had was his Digimon partner for company- Gaomon.

Thomas had been wandering around the town for hours. He had no destination, but he had an empty mind. He became aimless until he finally decided it was time to either head back to DATS or head home. He then decided by where ever direction his feet took him. They ended up taking him in the direction of DATS.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Thomas picked it up bored-ly and was about to answer with a 'hello who is calling' but wasn't able to say a word because the person on the other end was frantic and talking too fast.

"Marcus has collapsed! He's in pain and the doctors are-"

"Where is he now?! Where are you?"

"The hospital."

Thomas dropped the phone in shock and ran.


End file.
